Electric valve-operating mechanism for elevators



(No Model.)

G. H. REYNOLDS.

ELECTRIC VALVE OPERATING MECHANISM FOR ELEVATORS.

No. 361,780. Pa.tented Apr. 26', 1887.

N. PETERS. HMo-Lithognphln Wuhhflm 0.6.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

GEORGE H. REYNOLDS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE CRANE ELEVATOR COMPANY, OF OHI- OAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC VALVE-OPERATING MECHANISM FOR ELEVATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 361,780, dated April 26, 1887.

Application filed November 26, 1886. Serial No. 219,870. g (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. REYNoLDs, of the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Valve-Operating Mechanisms for Elevators, of which the following is a specification.

In my pending application, Serial No. 219,583, filed November23, 1886, I have shown 1 and described means whereby, through an electric current, the auxiliary or pilot valve, which controls the operation of the main valve for an elevator, may be operated from the elevator-car; and my present invention relates to one form or species of mechanism which is shown and described in my said pending application, but which is not specifically claimed therein. In order to lessen the labor which is required to operate the main valve of an ele- 2O vator, it has been proposed to employ, in connection with the main valve, a controlling piston or pistons, which constitute a motor for operating said main valve, and an auxiliary valve for controlling said motor. Such aux- 2 5 iliary valve may in some cases serve simply to control ports or passages whereby water or other fluid under pressure is admitted to the main-valve cylinder for acting upon the controlling piston or pistons, and be entirely unconnected with said main valve,whilein other cases the auxiliary valve may by suitable connections be so combined with the main valve and its operating-motor that it will be moved simultaneously with and by the motor and main valve. In this latter construction I term the auxiliary valve specifically a pilotvalve, and its advantage is that after the pilot-valve is shifted to set the operating-motor of the valve in motion the pilot-valve will 0 by its movement shut off the passages leading to the main-valve cylinder as soon as the main valve has reached its desired position in either opening or closing the passages which it controls. A valve apparatus of this character 5 having a pilot-valve is shown and described in my Letters Patent No. 314,720, dated March 31, 1885. When a pilot-valve of the kind described is comprised in the valve-operating apparatus, a simple movement of the lever or handle on the car in one or other direction is all that is required to operate the pilot-valve; and my present invention consists in novel combinations of parts, hereinafter described, and set forth in the claims, whereby the pilot- 'Valve is controlled or operated through the agency of an electric current, and which comprises an electric motor of novel construction connected with the pilot-valve and a switch or circuit-closing device of novel construction to be operated on the car, and an electric circuit including both the electric motor and the switch or circuit-closing device.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a partly-sectional elevation of an apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the electric motor. Fig. 3 isa horizontal section of a portion of the car and a plan of the switch or circuit;closing device upon a larger scale than Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a partly-sectional. side view, illustrating the switch or circuit-closing device, upon the same scale as Fig. 3.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

A designates a portion of an elevator-car, 7 5 which may be operated by a hydraulic cylinder and piston, and the flow of water to and from the operating-cylinder (whichis not here shown, but the construction of which is well understood) is controlled by a valve appara- 8o tus, which I have shown in elevation in Fig. 1. This valve apparatus, as here shown, is like that which forms the subject of my aforesaid Letters Patent, and but a very brief description thereof is necessary.

J designates the main-valve casing of the cylinder, wherein are contained the main valve and its controlling-pistons, which constitute a motor for operating it. The casing'J is surmounted by a valvechest, j, wherein is 0 contained a pilot-valve operated through a rod, j, and said rod j is connected by a lever, j and a link, j with the main-valve rod. The lever j" is connected by the link with a rocker-arm, j, and by means of the rod e,con- 5 nected with said rocker-arm, the pilot-valve in the chest j may be shifted.

It will be understood that during the ordinary operation of the main valve and its controllingpistons the point 8 constitutes a ful- 10o crum upon which the lever j swings, in order to impart movement to the pilot-valve simul taneously with the movement of the main valve and its controlling-pistons. Whenever it is desired to shift the pilot-valve, a pull or push upon the rod 6 will serve to swing the rocker-arn1j and, through the rod or link will move the lever j and the pilot-valve, the main Valve and its controlling-pistons offering a greater resistance to the movement than does the pilot-Valve. Both the construction and operation of this valve apparatus are Very fully described in my aforesaid patent, and hence no further description is here necessary.

To shift the pilot-valve through the rod 6 I employ an electric motor or an electromagnetic apparatus. (Shown in Figs. 1 and2.) This apparatus comprises two series of magnets, 7a is, arranged on opposite sides of a rockshaft, and operating upon armatures supported by levers 70 70, which extend in opposite directions from said rock-shaft. As here shown, these levers 70 k are loosely mounted upon a shaft, k and are directly supported by means of toes or projections 70 70, arranged spirally and secured fast upon the shaft. One armature of the two series will always be 10'- cated within working distance of its magnet, and when its magnet is energized the corresponding lever, 70 or 70*, will be pulled down, and, through the toe or projection k k which supports it, will impart a slight turning movement to the shaft k. This turning movement will be sufficient to bring the next armature of the series within working distance of its magnet-coil k or k, and by the successive energizing of the magnets in either series the shaft will be turned in the aggregate a sufficient distance to shift the pilot-valve through the rod 6 \Vhen it is desired to shift the said valve in one direction, the magnets is or k of one series will be successively energized, and when it is desired to shift said valve in a reverse direction the magnets of the other series will be successively energized.

The wires 2, which lead from one terminal of each of the magnets in the two series, are,

as here shown, gathered in a cable, L, and said wires are electrically connected with an up right rod or shaft, K, which extends from top to bottom of the elevator shaft or well, and, as here shown, through the car A, and which is supported in hangers or brackets K, one arranged at the top and the other at the bottom of the elevator-shaft. The rod K is insulated from the brackets K, and is included in the electric circuit. The several wires, 1?, leading from the other terminals of the magnetcoils in the two series, and in which are arranged batteries i, are gathered, as here shown, in twocables, L U, which are conducted to a fixed support, If, and from that support depend and are connected with the elevator-car A.

Within the car A is arranged a switch or circuit-closing device, H, which is best shown in Figs. 3 and 4:. This switch or circuit-closing device I-I comprises a frame or segmental plate, m, in which are two series of metallic contacts or contact'points, n a. The wires 2* in the cable L, and which lead from the elec tric magnets of one series, It or k, are connected with one series of contacts, a, and the wires in the other cable, L", which lead from the otherseries of magnets, are connected with the other [series of contacts, H.

m designates a lever or handle adapted to swing in a horizontal plane, and which is free to slide upon the upright shaft K as the car ascends or descends, and is at all times in electric contact or communication with the shaft or rod K. Upon the arm or handle at is a metallic contact-point, s, which, as the arm or handle is swung horizontally, makes contact successlvely with the points a n in one or the other series. The contact 8 is not carried directly upon the lever or handle in, but is attached to a contact-carrier, m, which constitutes a portion of the lever or handle, movable relatively to the main portion thereof, in order to bring its contact s in range with one or the other series of contacts a n. In the present example of the invention the contact-carrier m consists of a disk pivoted at 0 to the lever 0r handle on, and provided itself with a handle, on, which may be of insulating material. The turning movement of the disk or contactcarrier m relatively to the main portion of the, lever or handle m is limited, as here shown, by a slot and pin, 8 s. As shown in the drawings, the contact-carrier m is turned to midposition, in which the contact s does not range with either series of fixed contacts a a, and the lever or handle m is also in about midpositiou. If it be desired to start the elevator-car A either upward or downward, the handle m is grasped in the hand and a pull is put upon it in one or other direction, (indicated by the double-headed arrow in Fig. 3,) the direction of movement corresponding to the direction in which the car is desired to move. ment of the contact-carrier on? will simply serve to turn said carrier upon the lever or handle at until the stop-pin 8 brings up against one or other end of the slots. By such turning movement the contact 8 will be brought into range with one or other series of contacts a n, and a further pressure upon the handle m in the same direction as before will move the lever or handle m. Hence it will be seen that by one operation of the hand the lever or handle in is moved, and such movement of the lever or handle is preceded always by the movement of the contact-carrier m upon the lever or handle in a direction to bring its contact s in range with the proper series of fixed contacts a a.

In order to indicate when the contact-carrier m is in proper mid-position, so as to hold the contact 8 out of range with either series of fixed contacts a a, I may employa springactuated catch or boltsuch, for example, as that shown at 0 in Figs. 3 and 4, and which It will be obvious that the first move-- engages a notch, 0 formed at the proper point in the periphery of the disk'm. After the .lever or handle m has been operated, the at tendant simply gives a slight turning movement to the disk m" until the catch or bolt 0 engages the notch 0 This catch or bolt, although it offers no material resistance to the turning of the disk at by hand, will offer a suflicient resistance to prevent the disk from being accidentally turned.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with an elevator-car and a valve apparatus for controlling its rising and falling movement, and comprising an auxiliary or pilot valve, of an electric motor for operating said auxiliary or pilot valve, a circuit-closing device or switch on the car, comprising a lever or handle, two series of electric contacts, and acontact-piece movable relatively to the lever or handle to cause it to make contact with one or other series of contacts, according to the direction in which the lever or handle is-moved, and an electric circuit including the electric motor and the circuit-closing device or switch, substantially as herein described.

2. The combination, with an elevatorcar and a valve apparatus for controlling its movements, and comprising an auxiliary or pilot valve, of an electric motor and an electric circuit for operating said auxiliary or pilot valve, and a circuit-closing device on the car, also included in the electric circuit, and comprising two series of contacts and a lever or handle provided with a movable portion through which it is operated, and which has a limited movement relatively to the lever or handle, and which carries a contact, whereby a movement of the lever or handle in either direction will be preceded by the shifting-of its movable portion to cause its contact to range with the contacts of one or other of said series, substantially as herein described.

3. The combination, with an elevator-car and a valve apparatus for controlling its movements, and comprising an auxiliary or pilot valve, of an electric motor and an electric circuit for operating said auxiliary or pilot valve, and a circuit-closing device on the car, also included in the electric circuit, and comprising two series of contacts and a lever or handle provalve, of an electric motor for operating said auxiliary or pilot valve, comprising a rockshaft having two series of armature-arms extending in opposite directions and two series of magnets for operating on said armaturearms to turn the shaft, a switch or circuitclosing device to be operated on the car, and an electric circuit including the electric motor and switch or circuit-closing device, substantially as herein described.

5. The combination, with an elevator-car and a valve apparatus for controllingits movements, and comprising an auxiliary or pilot valve, of an electric motor for operating said auxiliary or pilot valve, comprising a rockshaft having two series of armature-arms extending in opposite directionsand arranged spirally thereon, and two series of magnets for operating on said armature-arms to turn the shaft, a switch or circuit-closing device to be operated on the car, and an electric circuit including the electric motor and switch or circuit-closing device, substantially as herein described.

6. The combination, with an elevator-car and a valve apparatus for controlling its operation, and comprising an auxiliary or pilot valve, of an electric motor for operating said auxiliary or pilot valve, comprising the shaft k", with its two series of spirally-arranged armature-levers and toes or projections, and two series of magnets, a switch or circuit-closing device in the car, and an electric circuit including the electric motor and switch or circuit-closing device, substantially as herein de scribed.

GEO. H. REYNOLDS. 

